WTF?! Users and critics have praised Nvidia's Founders Edition graphics card reference designs for their looks and cooling systems, but the company doesn't offer them in ultra-small mini-ITX form factors. One Redditor decided to take matters into their own hands.
A GPU modder recently revealed their attempt to envision a theoretical mini-ITX GeForce Founders Edition card. The result is a uniquely slick-looking ultra-small RTX 3060.
Reddit user "Clashmains_2" bought a Gainward 3060 Pegasus and replaced its entire shroud with a 3D-printed alternative meant to evoke Team Green's reference designs. Some users prefer the Founders Edition models because their shrouds, coolers, and heatsinks look sleeker than most offerings from AIB partners.
Unfortunately, the reference designs quickly become difficult to find at MSRP soon after launch (except for the RTX 4000 series, which has suffered slow sales). Nvidia wouldn't need GPU partners if it could meet global consumer demand alone.
Given the situation, it's unsurprising that some ambitious users would build custom designs like the earlier GTX 1000 and RTX 3000 series mods that inspired Clashmains. The modder used computer-assisted design software to evoke Nvidia's heatsink style and modified a 92mm Noctua fan to fit the tiny form factor.
This initial proof-of-concept is meant for display rather than real-world use, being made from PLA 3D-printing filament, which isn't designed to withstand typical GPU temperatures. Clashmains tested it anyway, and although the shroud started to deform at 60C, the card maintained temperatures similar to the original cover, indicating a successful design.
Despite the relatively complex design displayed in the above screenshot, this was the modder's first attempt at 3D printing, and it won't be the last. They plan to reuse the fan after printing another shroud from Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, which is more resilient but harder to print. Responders in the comment section offered other suggestions for printing material with pros and cons regarding durability, ease of printing, and danger from toxic fumes.
Whether or not building case mods for graphics cards becomes a trend, it isn't the only way users have sought to improve Nvidia products. Modders have twice successfully doubled the RTX 3070's controversial 8GB of VRAM, resulting in measurable performance gains. The second attempt resulted in a physical memory switch to more easily test how having only 8GB of VRAM limits the 3070 and other recent Nvidia GPUs.